Parramatta mayor apologises to gay and lesbian group

Parramatta Lord Mayor John Chedid has apologised to gay and lesbian group Twenty10 for the council’s actions at the Rediscover the River festival.

A social media campaign calling for an apology was launched last week after an advisor for Cr Chedid asked Twenty10 representatives to take down its promotional banner at the event as it contained ‘‘offensive language’’.

Twenty10 acting manager Terence Humphreys said the group accepted the apology and looked forward to further discussions with the Cr Chedid, his office and the Parramatta City Council to prevent similar situations in the future.

‘‘We welcome their assistance as we continue to support the youth of western Sydney, their families and their communities,’’ Mr Humphreys said.

Over 12,000 people signed an online petition at change.org that called for an apology after the news broke last week.

‘‘The outpouring of support for our clients and our service has been incredibly heart warming,’’ Mr Humphreys said.